This is my first, EVER, political post!

Go, Sarah Palin!!!!

The fact McCain picked her as his vice presidential running mate was shocking, to say the least. A 44 year old mother of 5 children.

The election process just became personal. Her kids are leaving for college, but she still has preschool kids at home. She married her high school sweetheart and is still married to him today!!

Finally, someone I can relate to!

I feel.....empowered!!!  This was a brilliant move on McCain's part. It certainly drew me in!

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The following was taken from blogtownhall.com

"Was she as devout a Christian as she seemed?  She told me in all sincerity that her two favorite books were: (1) “The Holy Bible”; (2) “Listening to God.”   To her, God is a friend, someone who might just decide to move in next door. 

At 5-feet-tall and 99 pounds, Sarah Palin is a bit of a rock star.   Sarah has a speaking voice that’s strong but feminine.  She’s pretty.  She has five “adorable” kids.  Her husband has one of the last of the macho occupations: fisherman.  

Sarah is something of a Scarlet O’Hara type also, someone who excels at beating the “guys” (including the then-current Republican governor and his Democratic predecessor) at their own game.   As a former point guard in basketball, she likes to run things, and her sky-high approval rating shows she does it well.

Sarah has had some great triumphs in her life.  It just may be, however, that the best is yet to come."

Jordan and Jaycob both moved into the dorm in Searcy. I can't really post more than that tonight because just typing that one line made tears well up in my eyes. Our home is forever changed!

It's back to school time for our little ones! Each one had a reason to be excited! Emmye was reunited with her friends and mostly taken with the brand new playground equipment!

Gabriel found out his favorite friend from last year, Nealy, is also in his class this year. He'd been hoping and praying all summer she would be in his class. His room is nextdoor to Gideon's class. Gideon is elated to have Mollee as his teacher. He'll have to get used to calling her "Mrs. Walsh" rather than the usual, Esther. Mollee will be with both boys during lunch and recess.

(Isaac and his teacher, Mrs. Perrit)

Isaac, turned 10 today! He is such an enthusiatic and expressive child! Turning 10 on the first day of 4th grade makes him the oldest one in the class. (He ate that up!) Isaac has had his eye on a girl named Elizabeth all last year. But of course, they never could speak to one another.  She's always been in the "other" classroom, too. Well, this year, during open house, as he was putting things into his desk, Elizabeth walked in and sat down in the desk behind him!!!! Then, loud enough for Isaac and for me to hear, she whispered to her mom, "That's my boyfriend, Isaac. We're in the same class?!?." And then she grabbed her twin sister's arm and they giggled out loud.

Isaac froze..... turned 20 shades of red..... and BOLTED from the classroom. I went into the hall just in time to see him throw himself into the metal lockers dramatically....and loudly....wailing as if he were shot!!

"Am I red? Am I red?", he asked me. Because his complexion gives him away everytime! And I stammered around wondering if telling him the truth ("You look like Bob the Tomato") was going to do him any good.  But after a bit of counseling and deep-breathing exercises, he regained composure and re-entered the classroom to put up his books....only to turn around like a soldier when he saw the twins still laughing, and march back to me in the hall. I reminded him he was 10 now, "the oldest one in the class".

On his FOURTH attempt...(yes, fourth!!)....he walked past both girls and their mom then turned and said, "Hi, Elizabeth, did you have a good summer?" Elizabeth then froze.  And her sister answered, "yes, she did."

Such was the first day of school in the fourth grade. Happy Birthday, Isaac!

 What a blessing you are to us!

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I started back to school today, too. But......I can't really post more than that about it tonight because just typing that one line..............

I think you know what I was going to say. So I'll leave it at that.

SUMMERTIME -----FUNTIME

In this picture /\

Emmye looks like my sister, Laurie, looked at that age.

    Gideon is thumbs up on learning how to swim!

He's made it a whole year without surgery!

A first in his life for this tough kid!

(A bike ride to Subway....."eat fresh"!)

Family yahtzee on Sun. afternoon.  A break from SummerSchool homework!

Laurie is a bit proud of the t-shirt she earned.

Just trying to make the most of the last days of summer!

In spite of a virus that took out two of my kids, we have been involved with the "Music and Drama" workshop at church (on and off) all week!

TONIGHT is the NIGHT!

The Four Wind's Church musical will be showing

tonight at 7:00 and tomorrow at 6:00 p.m.

It is the story of Queen Esther....full of color....costumes...and inspiring songs.

It's a lot of work for the children, but when the lights dim and the crowd hushes, it is worth it all!

Hope to see some of you there.

TRY-athlon

I do not have an athletic bone in my body! Anything our kids got genetically that is agile, sporty, coordinated, and flexible came from their dad and all other family member's genes contributing to their makeup.

So....it has always been a joke to me....that year after year, my brother (the skiing, swimming, biking, track star, marathon-runner, triathlete) kept asking me to sign up for a race. ANY race.....ANY distance....ANY sport.... year...after year....after long-suffering year! 

Dean has the persistence of  "Sam I Am" with "green eggs and ham"!!  Remember that book:

"would you could you in the rain? would you could you on a train?"

"not on a train...not in a tree....not in the rain....SAM!! LET ME BE!!"

Followed with:

"you do not like them, so you say....but try them and you may, I say"

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This kind of stuff can drive a person loony!!  Which explains how I lost my mind, and signed up for a triathlon with my sporty-daughter, Laurie! Mainly, just to show Dean my name on the list and to encourage Laurie. I had no idea if I would actually compete!! Both my sisters, in the state, signed up too--and we were ready to proudly tell our brother "we'd done it!" (signed up...that is!).

(A triathlon involves swimming 4/10ths of a mile , biking 13 miles, and jogging 3 miles to the finish line.)

But when I showed Dean the list---the UNTHINKABLE happened!

He laughed!    Our little brother, who is suppose to believe in us to the bitter end-- laughed!!!!! And even worse....he doubted we would even show up! 

I was flabbergasted.

HOW DARE HE doubt US?!?!!?  

Ok--truth be known. I doubted us. Afterall, we are all in our forties, had no official training, and I, personally, weigh more than the day before I delivered my twins! (I hope that's not readable!!) My daughter, Laurie, has exercise-induced asthma which kept us from ever actually jogging one full mile together!

Plus, Cheryl hadn't been swimming since she was diagnosed with epilepsy 30+ years ago. My sister, Laurie, had a bike with so much rust on the chains that her gears didn't work! And she asked her 13 year old, Anna, if she wanted to compete and she said yes!  ((Now that the race is over, I will tell you that was like asking a woman if she wants to go through natural childbirth before ever having a baby!))

Not one of us had ever been in a triathlon!

AND...one more thing. Our body-type is oppositional to swimming. It really is. My sisters and I were the only children not able to pass every station in swimming lessons because we do not float! We sink.

Over and over they told us to just lay on our backs and float on top of the water. The teacher placed 2 fingers under our shoulders and two under our hips until we were comfortable and then turned loose. Like clock work, our bottom halves slowly sank out of site as we arched our backs trying to stay up. Eventually, we were perpendicular to the water line with nothing but our noses facing upwards. And, finally, even our heads were pulled under!

It perplexed every instructor! Day after day, week after week, we went to lessons. But not once did the Priest girls float!

Added to that equation are these arms we inherited. They look sturdy enough, but in comparison to the lower half they are mere sticks! ....Twigs if you will! Try paddling a canoe with your toothbrush and see how far you get!

This is our lot in swim-life.

Well, actually, I cannot include my niece, Anna, here. For she is half-fish! Last one in the water and the first one out!! (I pause now to gaze off in wonder. What would that feel like?)

It makes me have to consider evolution, though I have never believed humans evolved from animals, really!!

Men perhaps!---From monkeys! Dean and his body hair alone, make that a possibility!! Then add in his 5 boys that swing through trees and climb door facings makes its quite believable!. 

If I were picking an animal that we (sisters) evolved from, it would have to be the Tyrannosaurus Rex.(sorry, girls!) But really!....large skulls, thick hips and thighs, and arms that serve no real purpose other than carrying around small objects like .....infants, car keys, diet drinks, or purses--which we do quite well, I might add. 

And so.....YES! There were a few reasons to doubt our ability at such a great feat!

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I pulled up the web site and tried to familiarize myself with what we had gotten into! The following caption was too good to be true!

"Every first time competitor will receive a tee-shirt and a medal"

A MEDAL!?!#!

I know its a small thing...but in all my life not ONCE have I earmed my very own trophy, medallion, or medal of any kind, for anything!  That one bit of info, totally offset the negative feelings I had after reading the rule that "helmets and bathing caps were required".

I live by the "nothing on top of my head" rule!! (Anything, but a visor, makes me feel claustrophobic.)

I also read that this competition is not particularly about speed, but rather a test of  "endurance". 

Endurance!?  That really grabbed me!!

My endurance gets tested everyday...but rarely by "choice".  This idea of choosing to face some fears was intriguing!  And they were pretty big ones for me!

Like...chin straps and eye goggles which I had never owned or tried on before! (more claustrophobia!) And spandex! (the very word makes me shutter!!) I would have to face my fear of deep, murky lake water with potential snapping sea turtles beneath! We would be up at 3:30 a.m. driving to an unknown destination in 3 different vehicles. No makeup. Wet hair. With spectators and cameras in the 99 degree humidity of an Arkansas July!

Could we do this? But, every time I asked myself this question, in my head.....I heard Dean's LAUGH!!! I couldn't get it out of my head!  

Dean..wasn't doubting our ability alone...it was more!.....He.was doubting our stamina! Dean, who grew up with us! ..of all people, should have known by now, what we lack in age, experience, and body-typing, we will make up for in endurance and stamina!

A triathlon was the ultimate test! And he was unsure if we would even show up!

With that thought in mind, just 36 hours before the race....I felt the strength and determination rise up within me that can only be explained as supernatural--for I was drawing on the stamina of both sisters, 2 daughters and my niece! (*strike up the theme from "Chariots of Fire" maestro!)

WE WILL GO! (we said) WE WILL COMPETE! (we said) WE WILL HEAR HIM SAY, "I am impressed!"

Arriving was very peaceful at dawn!

We set out our necessities at each transition point like everyone else. (and inhaler...and hairspray...right?)

       Amazing to us all...we showed up at the same place and at the same time without a single phone call!

    I never knew we had such a strong family resemblance.   HAHAHAHAH!!

                          Things got serious real fast at the edge of the vast Lake Dunn.

                                              Verrah SCARRAH!!

But we were not alone!

                                                     Ah-yes! The lifeguards!

As I looked about the lake.....I KID YOU NOT!....every swimmer still paddling their bods through the water, was a direct descendant of the extinct T-Rex...... and all of them were related to me! You have no idea how encouraging that was!

Aunt Laurie and niece Laurie were side by side and had no idea who the other one was until they stepped onto dry ground.  Little Anna was long gone!

THE MEDAL SONG (lyrics borrowed) 

"Ain't no mountain high

Ain't no valley  low

Ain't no river deep

To keep me from getting to you....!!!"  

Mollee was our driver, instructor, and photographer. She is already a proven triathlete, with the fastest girl time overall in the family! Dean, of course, has an unbeatable overall record for the men!

Ashton held the fastest girl-swim time in the family....until this race. Anna beat her time and now holds the record for fastest swimmer in the family, overall, at the Mighty Mite. She even beat her Uncle Dean's last swim time in Forrest City by a minute and 17 seconds! (But...she is really a mermaid....so........) 

As for the rest of us? Well....We came. We competed. We conquered our fears!

AND.....We have medals to prove it!

                          That's RECORD enough for me!                                

"And I would do one on a train. And I would do one in the rain. And I would do one here or there.

Yes! I would do one anywhere. I do so like TRY-athlons! I do!...I like them....SAM-I-OM." (*am)

NEXT STOP: CATS SPRINT TRIATHLON

WHERE? LAKE BEAVERFORK ,  CONWAY, ARK.

WHEN? SEPTEMBER, 2008

WHO? CALLING ALL PEOPLE WHO CHOOSE TO TEST THEIR ENDURANCE

        and FACE THEIR  FEARS!

If we can do it.....anyone can do it!!

FOR Training Tips go to my brother's xanga site: DEAN911 (his birthday is Sept 11, but what an apprapo xanga name for a doctor and for a person you can always call for help. Thanks, Dean. We love you!)